United MileagePlus is a great program for travelers loyal to United Airlines or based near a United hub. The program : 2 bonus miles per dollar spent
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United Gateway Card holders must spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year to unlock the enhanced MileagePlus cardmember earning rates shown above. The Gateway card’s separate 2 miles per dollar on eligible United purchases applies without meeting this threshold.
As you can see, earning miles with United just got more complicated. Earning rates now vary widely, from no miles for members without status and a United card flying on a basic economy or base-option fare to 17 miles per dollar for Premier 1K members paying with the top-tier United Club Card.
This new earning structure gives United flyers yet another reason to add a MileagePlus card to their wallets.
Related: Complete guide to United’s revenue, award and upgrade fare classes
Fly on United partner airlines
United also awards MileagePlus miles on partner flights, but it works a little differently. If you book a partner flight through United (indicated by a “016” ticket number), you’ll earn miles based on your ticket fare and elite status per the guidelines above.
Most eligible tickets issued by partner airlines earn MileagePlus miles based on the distance flown and the booking class, though carrier-specific rules, exceptions and exclusions apply. Mileage earning rates vary by airline, so check your booking class and United’s partner airline list to determine your award miles. As you might expect, premium cabin tickets earn more miles than economy tickets, and Premier members are eligible for bonus miles with select partners.
Spend on United credit cards
Another way to rack up miles is by spending on United’s cobranded credit cards, issued by Chase. These cards earn bonus miles on United purchases, as described above, but they also earn miles whenever you swipe (or tap) them. Some of them earn PQPs as well to get you closer to elite status.
Here are some of the best United cards and their current welcome bonuses:
- United Quest Card: Earn up to 70,000 bonus miles and 500 PQPs: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 PQPs after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
- United Explorer Card: Earn up to 60,000 bonus miles: Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
- United Business Card: Earn up to 110,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs: Earn 100,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQPs after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
- United Club Card: Earn up to 90,000 bonus miles: Earn 80,000 bonus miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 10,000 bonus miles after adding an authorized user in the first three months from account opening.
Transfer credit card points
Beyond earning a credit card welcome bonus, you can also easily boost your MileagePlus balance by transferring points from one of the program’s transfer partners: Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt.
You can transfer points from either program to your MileagePlus account at a 1:1 ratio, or get an even better ratio if you find a transfer bonus. Transfers usually happen instantly, making this an easy way to get the miles you need for an upcoming United redemption.
Related: How to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus
More ways to earn United miles
To earn more miles on everyday spending, you can leverage United’s shopping portal and the MileagePlus X app for online and in-store purchases. Or, sign up for MileagePlus Dining to earn up to 5 miles per dollar spent when you dine at participating restaurants and use a linked credit card.
If you’re going to make these purchases anyway, you may as well maximize your rewards on them, right?
You can also earn miles by booking hotels and cruises through United’s portals or by booking travel with United’s hotel and rental car partners. Other ways to earn more include buying miles and transferring Marriott Bonvoy points, though these rarely offer the best value.
United miles pooling
One handy feature of MileagePlus is that members of all ages can share and redeem miles in one account. This is especially useful for families since kids and their parents can team up to book a larger redemption.
Pooled miles can be redeemed for flights operated by United, United Express and more than 40 MileagePlus partner airlines. Pooled miles cannot currently be used for upgrades or other nonflight redemptions.
How to redeem United miles
Although United has retired its award charts in favor of dynamic pricing, there are still ways to maximize your miles.
Generally, you’ll get the most value out of your miles when you redeem them for flights, which is easy to do on United’s website or app. You can use the advanced search feature to open a fare calendar and pinpoint the best deals, or start your search with a tool like Seats.aero to narrow down your dates. MileagePlus does not charge surcharges on redemptions operated by United or its partners, which is a great perk of this loyalty program.
Eligible primary United cardholders receive award pricing requiring at least 10% fewer miles on United- and United Express-operated award flights. Cardholders who also have Premier status receive pricing requiring at least 15% fewer miles. These discounts do not apply to partner awards or Money + Miles tickets. United Gateway Card holders must first spend $10,000 on the card in a calendar year to unlock this benefit.
United also offers a payment option called Money + Miles on all fares, though we don’t recommend it because it gives you a fixed rate of 1 cent per mile, below our August 2026 valuation of 1.25 cents per United mile.
The same goes for most other ways to redeem United miles, such as United Club memberships, TSA PreCheck fees, car rentals, hotel stays, retail products and gift cards. The value you’ll get from these redemptions will typically fall far short of what you could get on an award ticket.
Related: How to exchange your unwanted gift cards for United miles
Best uses of United miles
One way to spend your United miles — even if you haven’t amassed many yet — is on short-haul flights, where you can find award rates starting around 5,000 miles each way. These flights usually cost less than $100, so you may not get spectacular value from your miles, but booking them with miles can give you more flexibility. That’s because you’ll generally get a refund in the form of a future flight credit when canceling a flight booked with miles, as United doesn’t charge cancellation fees on most fare classes (except basic economy and other base fares).
Most eligible nonrefundable paid tickets can be canceled before departure for a future flight credit, although fare-specific restrictions apply, particularly to basic economy and base-option fares. Award tickets canceled before departure can generally be redeposited without a fee, with eligible taxes and fees returned; United charges a $125 redeposit fee following a no-show.
You can also find low rates for transcontinental flights when there’s saver award space. TPG writer Rachel Craft has personally booked partner business-class flights to Africa for 88,000 miles each way — a stellar price for 15-plus hours in a lie-flat seat and lounge access during her layovers. And with United’s recent shake-up, Premier members and credit card holders may be able to unlock even better deals.
If you want to fly to Europe, United offers one-way, saver-level flights for just 20,000 miles in economy, 50,000 miles in Premium Plus (premium economy) and 80,000 miles in Polaris business class. All of these are great ways to travel across the pond.
Lastly, you might consider using United miles to book top partner products like ANA’s “The Room” or EVA Air’s business class. These award flights don’t come cheap, but they make up for it with luxurious amenities you may not find anywhere else.
Bottom line
United’s MileagePlus loyalty program makes a lot of sense for travelers who live near a United hub or fly United often enough to earn status. But even if you rarely fly United or don’t care about elite status, you may still want to transfer miles from Bilt or Chase when you spot a great redemption. Since United has a wide route network — and frequently adds new routes — it’s easy to earn and redeem MileagePlus miles on a variety of flights.
In light of United’s new guidelines favoring cardholders, if you fly the airline at all, you may want to consider adding a cobranded card to your wallet to maximize the program’s perks.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.